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Kick Start Your Meal!

Monday, August 16th, 2010

With Our New Starter Sampler! At Texas Steakhouse, our Starter Sampler is always a favorite. But every now and then we like to kick things up a notch. That’s why we just added our famous Kickin’ Chicken to the Starter Sampler lineup!

That’s right! Our new Starter Sampler features a Texas-sized sampling of Campfire Cheese Fries, Blossom Petals and Kickin’ Chicken, served with Jalapeno Ranch, Blossom Sauce and Blue Cheese Dressing! It’s more tastes than you can shake a stick at!

So what are you waiting for? We know you’re hungry. So Kick Start your meal…

…with our new Starter Sampler!

See ya in Texas!

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Decisions, Decisions

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Here in Texas, folks often have a hard time making up their minds. But we understand. After all, with a menu loaded with so many fantastic flavors, it’s hard to settle on just one thing.

To make things easier for our more indecisive Texans, we’ve offered up combo dishes like our famous Ribeye & Ribs, Texas Surf & Turf, and Ribs & Tenders to name a few. Now we proudly announce a new dish for those who are torn between chicken and seafood:

Our brand new Crab-Stuffed Chicken!

It’s a juicy 7-ounce chicken breast, lightly breaded, stuffed with lump crabmeat — all topped off with sautéed shrimp and a rich tomato bisque sauce! It’s Surf meets Turf in a whole new way! Great with a Side Kick of Red Bliss Potatoes or a House Salad!

So, hungry? Then today’s the day for our new Crab-Stuffed Chicken! The answer to another timeless question: “What’s for dinner?”

See ya in Texas!

Doug Sanderson, Director of Training

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T- Harmony

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Texas Style Matchmaking

Here in Texas, we like to think we have the best menu team this side of the Rio Grande. They love what they do and work tirelessly dreaming up ways to dazzle your senses. We think they do a pretty good job of it. But what you may not know is there’s something else they do really well – matchmaking.

You may have met some of our more successful couples: Baby Back Ribs & Chicken Tenders, Texas Surf & Turf, Ribeye & Ribs. If not for our menu team, many of these pairings would still be strangers drifting past one another in the kitchen.

Of course, we don’t just pair up any two items. Chemistry is crucial, and our menu team knows the strongest relationships are based on taste. With that we’d like to introduce the hottest new duo on our menu, our brand new Cheezy Chicken & Ribeye Combo!

We found that our new Super Cheezy Chicken breast and famous Mesquite-Grilled Ribeye have impeccable chemistry! Then again, we’re not surprised. After all, they’ve both proven themselves to be stars in their own right, and putting them together was a great fit from the start.

So next time you’re in Texas, introduce yourself to our brand new Super Cheezy Chicken and Ribeye Combo. It’s just the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

See ya in Texas!

George Crane
Senior Director of Operations

Posted in Food | 4 Comments »

All American Taste

Monday, July 26th, 2010

At Texas Steakhouse, it’s no secret that we love American food. From our famous Mesquite-grilled steaks to our baby back ribs and chicken tenders, we like to think that we do hearty American meals like no one else. With that in mind, we’re happy to announce the latest addition to our menu.

Ladies and Gentleman, we give you – the All American Burger!

We know what you may be thinking, but this isn’t just another burger. In fact, it’s the result of countless taste tests and recipe refinements -a true testament to Texas Steakhouse’s dedication to burger-engineering.

We start out with two juicy, hot-off-the-mesquite-grill beef patties on top of a toasted bun, top it with American cheese, bacon, fresh tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and our special dressing. Then we close the deal with what else? Fried onion rings.

So what are you waiting for? Do your duty as a hungry patriot and try our new All American Burger! And don’t forget to save room for Grandma’s Strawberry Shortcake where $1 of every order is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

See ya in Texas!

Terry Smith, President
Texas Steakhouse &Saloon

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Wounded Warrior Donations

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Well, it’s been less than a year since Texas Steakhouse began donating $1 of every Grandma’s shortcake ordered to the Wounded Warrior Project and we have already exceeded $18,000.00!

The program began with a group of veterans and brothers who “were moved by the difficult stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq. They realized then and there that something needed to be done for these brave individuals beyond the brass bands and ticker tape parades. “

Wounded Warrior offers a variety of services to soldiers and their families from counseling and coping services to “peer mentoring,” designed to help the wounded know what is possible and see the successes of other fellow soldiers who have faced similar challenges. And they do so much more. http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

So, the next time you are in Texas Steakhouse, save room for our Strawberry Shortcake. It’s a great treat this time of year and an easy way to thank and support those who continue to fight for our freedom and safety.

Grandma's Shortcake

Posted in Food, Supporting Our Troops | No Comments »

Clearing the Hurdles

Friday, June 11th, 2010

Have you ever wondered how we choose new items for the Texas Steakhouse menu? Well, contrary to what you might think, we don’t just pick a dish and throw it on the menu. Each must go through a series of steps or “hurdles” as we call them, in order to earn a permanent spot on the main menu.

It all begins with the menu team. Each week, our menu team meets to discuss new ways to keep our menu fresh and exciting. Ideas are bounced around, we do taste tests, and eventually we come up with a few dishes to put on a “test” menu.

The test menu is then put into five of our locations for a period of 60 days. We track the popularity of each item through what we call a “hurdle rate.” At the end of the period, the dish or dishes that surpass the hurdle rate earn a coveted spot on our main menu.

There are many advantages to the hurdle system. First and foremost, it ensures that only the best dishes make it onto the main menu. Secondly, it allows us to maintain our high level of quality and value by only using ingredients and offering menu items that we know guests will select. Most importantly, it leaves the final say on new menu items to you, our guests.

So, next time you’re in Texas, be sure to savor the flavor of that Super Chicken Club, Montreal Sirloin or Chicken Fried Chicken. Once upon a time it was just an aspiring test menu dish — one that had to overcome many hurdles to make it to your plate.

See you in Texas!

Doug Sanderson, Director of Training

Texas Steakhouse

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Food, New Menu | 4 Comments »

Texas Steakhouse Raises over $13,000 for Wounded Warrior Project

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

We’re proud to announce that we’ve raised over $13,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization dedicated to helping military heroes who have been severely injured in the line of duty. The funds were raised one dollar at a time from purchases of our Grandma’s Shortcake dessert.

In late 2009 we began donating one dollar of every Grandma’s Shortcake purchase to the Wounded Warrior Project. So far exactly $13,699 has been collected, and we hope that’s just the beginning.

We are honored to help the brave members of our military in this way, and we’re grateful to all the Real Texans out there who made this donation possible. Thanks again and remember, next time you’re in Texas, save room for Grandma’s Shortcake.

Terry Smith
President and CEO
Texas Steakhouse

Posted in Food, Supporting Our Troops | No Comments »

Super Cheezy Chicken Takes Off

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

They say chickens can’t fly but Super Cheezy Chicken, one of our seven delicious brand new menu items, has absolutely taken off!

Then again, we’re not surprised. After all, when we decided to take two plump, juicy 7-ounce chicken breasts, coat them in our signature spicy barbeque sauce, then top them off with melted cheddar and jack cheeses we expected a heckuva response.

What we didn’t expect was that Super Cheezy Chicken, priced at just $9.99 with one Side Kick, would become a menu legend-in-the-making so soon! In fact, it has already become one of our most popular dishes!

If you haven’t tried our Super Cheezy Chicken yet, it’s time to head over to Texas and taste it for yourself. If you’ve already tried it, don’t worry; we’ve got plenty more! So what are you waiting for? Find out what Real Texas tastes like. Try our Super Cheezy Chicken today!

Doug Sanderson
Director of Training

Posted in Food, New Menu | No Comments »

The Excitement of a Texas TV Shoot

Monday, April 12th, 2010

The Marketing Team gathered for our quarterly meeting and the decision was made to create some television spots featuring our mesquite-grilled 9oz ribeyes, 7oz sirloins and burgers. This is quite an event and many professionals come together to make all the beautiful footage we use in our commercials.

We work with a Robert LaTorre and his team at Big Fish Films. He is an amazingly talented and brilliant artist and director. Our first conversation begins with a budget and creative direction. Shot ideas and techniques are discussed, and soon after CurrentMarketing creates a storyboard of the vision for everyone to understand and agree to.
Next, our agency goes into coordination mode. Recipes are gathered, quantities of food items are determined. For example we may need 100 perfectly shaped brioche buns for our burger shot.

Talk about details! Everything is hand-picked and scrutinized. The food stylist makes all the difference. We spend the money to get the best because the food has to look great. And what you see is what you get. We don’t cheat on our portions. Everything is to spec. We use our product and processes. And I am on location to approve all presentations.

The shoot requires one day of pre-production and decisions on plated “stand-ins” for color and composition. Shot order is established, shot angles are walked through and reviewed via monitor. Hand movements are practiced and every second is planned out. We pack a ton in one day because shooting video is very expensive and as a 29-store restaurant chain we are frugal with our marketing dollars.

The day of the shoot is really a lot of fun. We have great “craft services” (code for unbelievable treats to snack on throughout the day). And a giant HD TV monitor so we can see every “take” very close up. Some of us get to participate in the shoot by flipping a burger or squeezing a lime. I am known in some parts as the “King of the Rib Tear,” a move I managed to perfect a few years ago.

The actual shooting, scheduled for early next month, will take three full days. I always look forward to working with everyone there, from the lighting techs or “gaffers” to the “steamer” (guy who creates the steam coming from a hot dish). It is an action-filled day with many decisions. It requires patience, creativity and experience. And we always come away with fabulous footage that we’re proud to use to represent Texas Steakhouse & Saloon.

Terry Smith
President
Texas Steakhouse & Saloon

Posted in Behind The Scenes, Food, Friends, New Menu | No Comments »

Two Ribeyes for $16.99. Now that’s REAL Texas!

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

We have the most incredible deal going on at Texas Steakhouse right now. Our mouth-watering USDA Choice ribeyes are now available at an unbeatable price. You can get two 9 ounce mesquite-grilled ribeyes for just $16.99. That’s under $9.00 a piece and you get a Side Kick with each one! I am talkin’ grain-fed and aged to a minimum of 21 days and then grilled over real mesquite wood. And with Side Kicks like our signature Fried Baked Potatoes or our Sweet Potato with Cinnamon Sugar and Butter, you can enjoy a Texas-sized meal at a great price! Plus all the fresh, hot yeast rolls you can eat. This is a limited time offer so grab a friend and head to Texas Steakhouse soon and try TWO of our juicy ribeyes. And be sure to save room for our Grandma’s Shortcake, where $1.00 of every shortcake sold is donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Terry Smith
President
Texas Steakhouse & Saloon

Ribeye

Posted in Food | 7 Comments »